Some past book reviews

The diary, which covers the period from December 1917 until February 1919, has been enhanced by the addition of a running commentary explaining the context written by Bick’s son Peter, and is of especial interest in the period from late July 1918 when the Canadian Corps went into action at Amiens and played a lead role in the “hundred days” offensive thereafter. This was a time when the learning, technique, tactical and armaments developments came together as a formidable weapon of war: the diary and commentary talk of creeping barrages, counter-battery, neutralising and counter-preparation bombardments and all the panoply of field artillery methods through which the Allied armies finally overcame the foe.

With a good selection of personal and Canadian official photographs and a small number of rough but adequate maps, this is a book worth considering by anyone interested in the way the war was won and in the role of the Canadian artillery in particular.

Only available in softback, it is very nicely produced and at a sensible cover price.

This battalion benefits from having an unusually extensive archive and a good deal of published work covering its activities. This provides an excellent background for compilation of a detailed history. But “Never lost a yard of trench ” goes further, not least due to the fact that the author met several battalion veterans, as the work on the book began many years ago and was interrupted for a long spell. The personal touch, as well as the author’s evident expertise and enthusiasm, makes this one of the best of the modern pals histories – and that is going some, as there have been many fine examples of the art. The narrative is rich, detailed and the story well told, profusely illustrated with photographs and some good sketch maps.

The Kensingtons came under command of 99th Infantry Brigade, originally of 33rd Division, but transferred after arrival in France to the regular 2nd Division. It saw much action during the war, notably on the Somme, at Oppy (Arras) and Cambrai, before falling victim of reorganisation in early 1918 when the battalion was disbanded. “Never lost a yard of trench ” is an excellent example of modern scholarship and writing, and a fine epitaph to an interesting unit.

Thousands of Irish people, forced into quitting their homeland in the shameful potato famine of the 1800’s, moved to the north of England and many found work in the shipyards, factories and coal mines of Northumberland and Durham. Their traditions and comradeship held firm and were major factors in the raising of no fewer than four volunteer battalions for the Northumberland Fusiliers in 1914. As Sheen notes, many of Irish descent also joined the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment); he wonders what they would have done had it been the Orange Howards! Forming up into the 103rd Brigade of 34th Division, they were destined for disaster. More than half of the text of the book is concerned with the establishment, training, early service in France and destruction of the Tyneside Irish on 1 July 1916. This is to be expected, as that terrible advance near La Boisselle is their prime moment in the war. Name after endless name fell dead or wounded to unsuppressed German machine guns. The impact on the Irish community in the North East was appalling. John does, of course, cover the rebuilding of the battalions and their subsequent actions at Arras and Ypres. Three of the battalions were disbanded in Fabruary 1918; the 25th Battalion fought on against the 1918 German offensives before being reduced to a training cadre. The book includes interesting work on the reserve units and on the pipe band, too.

Every gallantry award made to the Tyneside Irish is covered, and there are (extensive) nominal rolls of the original 1914 volunteers, together with their fates. An excellent narrative, an excellent work of reference, a splendid collection of photographs: if I had one gripe it would be the absence of an index.

For anyone interested in the Tyneside Irish, the Northumberland Fusiliers, the first day on the Somme or Kitchener’s Army in general, this is a compulsory buy.

2nd DLI was a typical pre-war infantry battalion of the British Army, although it had not seen service in the South African War and had returned home from India as long ago as 1902. It was placed under orders of 18th Infantry Brigade of 6th Division and remained in that formation throughout the war.

Sheen’s history has all of the insight and detail we have come to expect of modern scholarship, drawing deeply on official, regimental and private records. With many excellent photographs, most of which will not have been seen before, and lacing the battalion’s history with the stories of individual officers and men, he takes us through the whole war from the battalion’s first searing experiences on the Aisne, right through to the honour of advancing into Germany as part of the army of occupation. In between, the 1915 nightmares of Hooge, the latter stages of the Somme, Hill 70, Cambrai and ceaseless engagement in 1918. The story also brings out how the nature of the battalion inevitably changed, from wholly regular through mostly volunteer to conscript, yet managed to maintain an ethos and professional air throughout. The battalion also coped with the rapid and manifold developments in armaments, tactical doctrines and training – a testament to the efforts of officers, NCOs and men alike.

As battalion histories go this would be hard to better; the fact that it records the endeavours of an unglamorous and unsung yet vital component of the army makes it very special.

My appreciation for John Starling and Ivor Lee’s achievement is underpinned by my own knowledge of Labour Corps official records, which are patchy in existence and often uninformative when they can be found. To compile this detailed analysis of how the labour units formed, where they went and what they did is clearly a work of considerable effort. The book’s title reminds us that no war – but WW1 in particular – can be fought without a tremendous amount of unglamorous ‘behind the scenes’ work. Endless digging, road mending, carrying, construction works and so on can be guessed at; it is not so easy to recall the salvage work, battlefield clearance, burial of the dead and reconstruction work in which the Labour Corps was involved.

No labour, no battle is unlikely to be bedtime reading (although the opening chapters on the development and work of the labour element are very readable) but a work of reference that will take an important place on many a military bookshelf.

We have grown used to the high standard of research behind these books, and “Carmarthen Pals” is no exception. The book mentions many individuals by name and is full of photographs, having pulled on official and regimental sources as well as the local press and the memoirs of individuals. A selection of maps helps the reader understand the battalion’s role and location when it went into action, and the book concludes with a useful roll of honour, short bibliographies of battalion officers, and list of awards and decorations. The only black mark is the absence of an index.

A good read and valuable work of reference, that might be seen as a companion volume to Bernard Lewis’ earlier “Swansea Pals” as the two units were under command of the same infantry brigade.

The author, John Hutton, is the current Member of Parliament for the area where these units were raised (Barrow and Furness) and Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Quite how he managed to find the time to craft a regimental history I do not know.

Of the battalions on which he has focused, three were raised for Kitchener’s new armies in 1914 and one pre-existed the war in the shape of the 4th, a Territorial battalion. John narrates the history of each unit in turn, drawing, it seems, principally on the war diaries, official history and local material. I say “seems” as no references or sources are given, which is a pity. The stories are told in enough detail for the book to be a useful reference without the reader getting mired in the minutiae, although inevitably that means there is much less colour and personality than in, say, Terry Carter’s “Birmingham Pals”.

I was a little disappointed to find little of the author’s own feelings expressed in the book, other than in the preface. There is no analysis, comment or reflection on their performance, morale, capabilities or development. This is a shame, for such insight from a man of Mr Hutton’s eminence would surely be of interest to many readers. Perhaps that is another book, once he retires!

Overall, a useful addition to your bookshelf.   Just a comment to end this review. Readers, do not confuse this “Kitchener’s men” with Peter Simkins earlier and masterful work on the raising of the new armies.